


Initiation

by chianh (orphan_account)



Category: Free!
Genre: Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Rei-centric, gang/cartel au, idk what to call this type of organization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-18
Updated: 2014-10-18
Packaged: 2018-02-21 16:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2475515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/chianh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By way of Gou's initiation, Rei finds himself forced into some king of Underground where he doesn't understand much and no one has a permanent name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Initiation

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't actually really know much about cartels/gangs/mafias/drug rings/ idk  
> Sorry ^^;

Rei's hands shook and his heart pounded. His hands were bound and his face was covered by what was obviously a brown paper bag. On his knees, he knew nothing of where he was except the cold, hard ground. It was quiet, but not too quiet. The thrumming of his pulse made all the sound he needed. And all at once, the world came back to him. There was barely any light for his eyes to adjust to, it was such a dim room. The bag pulled off his head was set in front of him, on the front, an almost comical shark face penned in black marker. What is this? What kind of a sick joke is this?  
\---  
In front of him, a throne of sorts. Lined on either side, men with straight faces and squared shoulders. All except for the first on the left, he held a condescending grin of amusement aimed at him. His abnormally sharp teeth a flash of white in his face that was shadowed with red hair. Next to him, on the throne, with his head rested in his hand, someone who seemed to be the boss. Though, he was fairly young, and almost seemed too baby-faced to be the boss of anything, particularly an organization that has apparently organized his own kidnapping. He had a bored look in his shining pink eyes as he stared at Rei with obvious judgement. Rei's eyes lowered and his mouth became dry, the cloth stuffed haphazardly there didn't help. The shark spoke first, then the boss, and then a feminine voice he didn't recognize.  
\---  
"A poor little thing,"  
"And what am I supposed to do with something like it?"  
"Use wasn't a requirement,"  
\---  
"Look at me,"  
His voice was contrastingly high but stern.  
Rei did not yield.  
"Look at me."  
A sharp kick to the side from who seemed to be the previously heard feminine voice. Rei groaned. Her burgundy hair was tied up in a neat ponytail. It would seem that she was forced here just as he was if it hadn't been for the cold look in her eye. Before he could make anything else of her appearance, her hand was in his hair and his head was forced back so that his eyes met the boss who ran a hand through his own blonde hair without a hint of emotion. For a moment, nothing was said and Rei was left to revel in his own fear in the cold, dark room in which everyone else seemed void of emotion. Finally, the pink-eyed authority figure spoke again,  
"Those glasses, take them off,"  
A nervous confusion washed over him, how was he to do that? But the imperative wasn't aimed towards the captive. The girl, who was surely no older than himself, and obviously lesser in strength and height, took action. A swift motion and his head met the ground harshly. She took care to angle his head to the side, saving his nose from the impact. The glasses were simple, black, and rimless. And now they laid on the ground, the frame broken and lenses shattered. Rei refrained from making a sound, even as the shattered glass pressed into his cheek and dangerously close to his eye. Only a small smirk and hum of approval was elicited from the blonde as he shifted in his throne, crossing his legs. To his right, a calm-faced boy whose clear blue eyes were averted in a nonchalant manner, giving the appearance that this was a normal occurrence that he didn't really care to pay much attention to. In the royal court of this room, he represented those who couldn't care less of the trial before him. Nevertheless, he was trusted at the side of the king. Fingers were snapped in the metaphorical bishop's face to grab his attention. The hand pointed towards Rei who had the courage to sit up despite his better judgement. Red frames were pressed roughly to his face with no care as to how smudged the lenses became. They didn't match his prescription, but they came close enough. The shark questioned the replacement. Though no one would disagree that the red suited him better, framing purple orbs in contrast to blue hair. Another dismissing wave of the hand and the boss turned his head to the side,  
"Leave it on the bottom,"  
The shark cocked his head with his usual fanged grin,  
"Aww, that's a bit cruel, isn't it? Leaving the little thing to fend for himself in rock bottom,"  
The literal red head was shushed. A small smirk on his lips, the shark slowly made his way to Rei, pausing at the paper bag for a quick moment of consideration before standing behind the kneeling captive.  
"Stand,"  
And this time, he obeyed, with some difficulty. One swift motion and the shark had one arm hooked in between Rei's, which were bound at the wrist. The other hand pressed against Rei's eyes, once again bringing the discomfort of darkness. It wasn't long until Rei could barely remember which way was left and which was right. The walk was mostly silent. They had stopped once and only once. That was when the shark-toothed paused to wipe his hand of the bit of blood that seeped there from the minor scratch caused by the previously shattered lenses.  
"Baby Shark's one helluva girl," he commented, "Plays a bit too rough with some of 'em though,"  
That notion could be applied to anyone Rei had come in contact with so far that night, seeing as how Rei was been carelessly shoved against more that a few railings as they walked. In the moment before his eyes were covered once more, Rei was a flight of stairs, and nothing else. At this point, there were zero reasons for Rei to not panic. He had been kidnapped, taken, forcefully brought to who knows where. His heart pounded, he trembled, and tears sprung to his eyes. Feeling the wetness on the palm of his hands, Shark sighed,  
"Why's it gotta be like that, Glasses?"  
Though, Rei's glasses had been taken off to allow his vision to be revoked, they now rested in Shark's hands,  
"Speaking of which, the name's Rin, but if you ever call me that, I'll be sure that Baby Shark tears you a new one. That is, if I don't feel up to it myself. Besides, it's not hard to figure out what to call me,"  
And it wasn't.  
\---  
Whatever floor they were now on, it seemed slightly livelier than the one that welcomed him. The hand abandoned Rei's face in favor of beckoning another boy to them. Another boy quickly stood before them. He had his grey hair kept short with straight bangs and seemed considerably shorter than the two. Just how young were they letting people into whatever this organization was?  
Shark placed a hand on Rei's head,  
"Take care of this one, Ducky,"  
With that, he left before the so called duck could give a response, but not before shoving that glasses back on Rei's face and leaning in to whisper something into his ear that didn't sound unlike "Swim with the fishes,", whatever that could mean in this context. With some difficulty, the cloth in Rei's mouth was undone and carefully pulled out of his mouth. What was a light blue bandana was now darker, heavy with saliva that stuck hung in a string from Rei's mouth. Not beautiful. Panicked questions and half a scream later, and the bandana was back in his mouth. The cold dampness of it made him shiver on disgust.  
"You'll never make it to the top like that," Ducky sounded exasperated.  
The cloth was pulled out once more and discarded permanently. Once again, against his better judgement, Rei didn't make a sound. He scanned the room, his gaze calculating but nervous. There was no way he'd make it out of here.  
"Glasses, look at me," everyone was ordering him around today, and he still found himself unquestionably obeying.  
"My name isn't 'Glasses', it's Rei," He stated plainly. How annoying it was to have been named for his poor eyesight. Though, Ducky's eyes widened,  
"Stupid! No real names here, rookie, remember?"  
"I can't say that I do,"  
The duck seemed equal parts confused and irritated. Though, there wasn't time for an explanation.  
"I'm Ducky, you're Glasses, let's go," they weaved through various people who all seemed to have something important to do, but it didn't look like they were doing much.  
In the far back, a truck with a running motor, piled high with crates. In front of it, barely audible, an older man with blonde hair in an undercut who was unamused, businesslike,  
"Half of 'em's real, half of 'em's not,"  
A louder voice rang out,  
"That isn't what we agreed on!"  
The older man shrugged,  
"Happy Feet's problem, not mine,"  
As soon as the crates were unloaded, he was gone, leaving the other to throw his own silent fit before deciding he needed to consult a higher authority,  
"Jaws-senpai!" He drew out the last syllable.  
The shark was nowhere to be found.  
"Otter-" Though, he had stomped away before Ducky could finish. How childish, though Rei wouldn't say so aloud.  
"Start unpacking," Little Duck mumbled, picking up a crate. The wood was already easily falling apart with mold.  
"Not beautiful,"  
"Nothing's really beautiful around here, Butterfly,"  
"Butterfly?"  
"Or Glasses, either one. Get to work, and maybe if you do good, Happy Feet'll let Jaws give you a tour,"  
Rei lifted the boxes easily, finding that unpacking was easy busywork. He could guess what was probably in those boxes, and he already knew that it wasn't legal or morally okay. Not knowing what to do, Rei stuck to prying open the rotted crates, leaving the inspection to those who were at least fully knowledgable of what the contents were supposed to be. There wasn't much dialogue that this point, but there was plenty of noise to make up for it, in fact, it was a few decibels too high for comfort. A voice rang out, finally, signaling the end of their working period. It wasn't very discreet for such an activity, but then again, who could hear them within these concrete walls? Dim lights shined down on the workers who nearly maimed each other in their roughhousing. Rei felt out of place, and he was. There was no reason for him to be there, assisting in crime. But he couldn't run, and he couldn't scream for help. He didn't exist in the above ground anymore, or at least that's what he made himself come to terms with for now.  
The familiar voice rang out suddenly,  
"Shut it, Stag Beetle. I'll deal with it,"  
The shark came down the steps, the previously mentioned fuming,  
fiery-haired one followed behind him. Rin, or rather Shark, glanced over to the array of unboxed goods with a scowl,  
"That bastard wasn't kidding when he said only half. But still, lotta doses in one vial, and entire crates, well... We'll put up with it, given the contents, "  
Though, clearly, he wasn't happy. He have a quick hand gesture that prompted Ducky and a few others to make their way up the steps. Was it that easy to leave after all? Rin put an arm around Rei's neck,  
"Ai," Ducky seemed surprised, "How'd this one do?"  
"Surprisingly well, Rin,"  
Rin gave Ai a glare of provocation.  
"Welcome to the Underground, rookie,"  
Rei shook his head frantically,  
"This is a mistake! I'm not a rookie! What even is this? A mafia? A gang? A cartel?"  
"Well, who can car-tell?" The otter chimed in from behind with a smile.  
Rin fought back a small look of amusement. Rei suddenly felt like a plaything. And then he was angry.  
"I'm not going to have a hand in your illegal drug dealing. Goodbye,"  
Half a step later and Rei was pinned against a wall, an arm pressed to his chest and a leg in between his, Rin's mouth at his ear,  
"Listen, Initiation, you've seen everything. We kill you or you're ours,"  
And with that, Rei became weak at the knees. Forced into a life of criminal activity, was that it? Or be disposed of, that was also a choice. But suddenly, it made sense. Rei was Baby Shark's initiation. He served no use but to ensure someone a willing spot above him while he was discarded under some kind of warehouse, unboxing vials. Rei's face contorted at the thought.  
"You think this is about the drugs, don't you? You think we'd be shooting up in our spare time? Let me tell you, Glasses, we ain't got any spare time. The only thing you get from heroin is the need for more heroin. This ain't about the high, it's about the money," With that, Rei was released. So it was a mafia then? Rei wasn't very knowledgable about this kind of thing, though it was undoubtedly a drug ring, and that meant he shouldn't be there at all. He could go to prison, after all, he is helping them unbox drugs to sell for a higher profit. He grimaced at the thought.  
"Anyway, you're coming home with me tonight," Rei was clearly taken aback, "Like we'd ever trust an initiation to come back the next day,"  
\---  
Rei hated the word, initiation, it reminded him of how out of place he really was, how he was only there as some rite of passage for a person who couldn't care less about him, seeing as how brutal she had been towards him. But many insisted on calling him that. Rei would have even preferred Glasses, or Butterfly, or anything else. Though, he never told Shark that, not on the long, dark ride home when he felt terribly, illogically lonely, not even when Shark had said to call him Rin outside of the underground did Rei offer his preferred monicker. Dinner was quiet and formal. It was an unbelievably large house, though Rin had said there was only one bedroom. That clearly wasn't true, for Rei had passed many in trying to find the bathroom. But he didn't argue for fear of angering Rin. Rei had figured that treating him as if he had a hairline trigger of a temper would do best in the end, even if it meant passively sleeping on the floor. But Rin would allow that. The master bedroom was more elaborate than previously thought possible. The bed, even, was plush and lavish with white sheets. One thing seemed to offset the air of sophistication, or two rather, but the stock of firearms was expected. Swept to the side of his bed and to the floor unceremoniously was a small collect of stuffed animals. They weren't overly cute or large in size, but it would never have been expected of a higher-up in a form of drug cartel.  
"For my boys," Rin mumbled almost sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. And so they were. An otter, a duck, a penguin, a shark, and a few out of view. It was almost endearing, actually, Rei pointed out to himself as he reluctantly sat down on the bed.  
"Get to the Above Ground and maybe there'll be a butterfly there some day," Rin shrugged, turning off a light. A single lamp kept the room dim and ominous, so much in fact that Rei felt that he never really left the Underground at all. Everything about this made him anxious. The entire ordeal was just nerve-wracking. But at the end of the day, it was also exhausting. Rin had abandoned his shirt long before, once they had set foot in the house, though there was no explanation, and Rei didn't find it to be very courteous, though he couldn't say it wasn't beautiful. Rin had now begun to strip himself of his pants, giving Rei a teasing wink. It seemed that Rin was undoubtedly comfortable around Rei, which was strange enough, but once more, it wasn't questioned. There was only a minute to contemplate his previously confiscated phone and wallet before pajamas were thrown his way. They were a solid black and almost visibly worn, but they were warm and certainly more modest than what the red-head had settled on. Having no choice, Rei stood in the corner, dressing as fast as he possibly could, though his fingers fumbled with the buttons in his anxiousness. There wasn't much reason for him to be so worked up over being seen dressing, he reasoned with himself, though his heart pounded anyway. It had been a few seconds, or minutes it seemed like, until a warmth was at Rei's back and surprisingly muscular arms came under Rei's own, guiding his hands to button up the shirt. What exactly is this? Rei flinched, tearing away from the intruding arms. Neither of them said anything after that.  
\---  
The unwavering darkness suffocated him. Shimmers of light from a window was expected of any bedroom, but none shone through the pitch-black confines. Rei was not afraid of the dark. It would be irrational. But his hindered vision accompanied by a bed that was not his own made him uneasy. He seemed tired and restless at the same time, if it was possible. Rin laid to the left, motionless, but not yet asleep. It was maddening, the state Rei was in, but he began to drift soon enough. Even as he nodded off, Rin's arms around him was unmistakeable. Rei hadn't flinched this time. Rin gave a noticeable sigh of contentment, and Rei knew he wasn't asleep. Although, it wasn't uncomfortable, and the warmth was sedating, lulling Rei to a deeper sleep than he could anticipate outside his own bedroom. So deep, in fact, as to not heed the informed sleeping habits of his keeper of sorts, clear words spoken in a dazed voice, panicked thrashes in no near danger; it came with the job. The morning came abruptly, for Rin at least. He cursed every teen love story that made sleeping in someone's arms out to be some kind of safe haven. The sky was dark and overcast giving the outside world a dreamlike effect. Rei might not have believed he had woken up when his eyes shot open, allowing him to process the room he was in. The lingering feeling of another's presence was gone by then. He turned to the wall where a clock usually hung. He quickly averted his eyes, realizing once again that this wasn't his bedroom. There wasn't any means of telling time in the entire room, he concluded. The house, thankfully, had a simple layout, allowing him to find his way downstairs almost immediately. In plain view, as he came to the last step, was the house owner. Rin had taken to making a simple breakfast for the both of them, not paying much attention to the newly awoken guest. A cigarette hung from his mouth, even as he was indoors. It was an old habit that he hadn't yet considered relinquishing. Though it may have seemed impolite, it was still a habit, it came with the job. Neither of them would talk to each other in this early morning, eating silently without offering much of a greeting. As Rei helped clean up, the thought crossed his mind many times about why he was being so very easily accepting of his new situation. That wasn't very like him at all. By no means did he ever want to go back to that awful, dim room to unpack boxes mindlessly, but he had to ask. He never exactly knew how these kinds of organizations worked, or when you'd have to show up, or anything like that,  
"It isn't a day job. I think they can handle it. Isn't as if there's something for me to do there, but if you're so eager to get back to the Underground,"  
"I'm not!"  
Rin gave a small glance a Rei, regarding the quick refusal, mumbled a short comment about learning to love the job, and fell silent. The two weren't exactly good friends. As endearing as Rei might have seemed, he was just another initiation turned rookie, just like Ai and Makoto. How far he gets in the hierarchy was up to him, and Rin would be watching him all the way.  
\---  
This wasn't a game of twenty questions, Rei was told. That was over an hour ago. It wasn't Rin's idea of a day off, but what else was there? Rei, as he found out, couldn't swim at all. That ruled out his foremost choice, and there wasn't much else he wanted to do after that. The more he learned about Rei, the more Rin felt the faint fish-out-of-water feeling that emanated from him. Rei, of course, had many analytical questions that soon tapered out to classroom icebreakers and the like,  
"Then what did you do before all this?"  
"Street corner pharmaceutical syndicate,"  
Rei's face twisted in dismay. Rin gave a small smirk, giving Rei's foot a tap with his own,  
"I swam, competitively,"  
Their feet aligned as they pushed against each other. It was childish of them, Rei let the thought cross his mind, to lay on opposite ends of the couch with their feet alternating from entangled to pushed against each other playfully,  
"Why did you stop?"  
Rin caught Rei's eye with an eyebrow raised,  
"Who said I did?"  
It was Rei's turn to raise an eyebrow, or both. Perhaps he was under the impression that Rin hadn't any hobbies. But Rin didn't care about Rei's stereotypical gang member delusions,  
"What's your name?"  
A second passed. The scrapped idea of a pseudonym later and,  
"Rei,"  
"That's kinda girly,"  
"So is your name,"  
Nothing more is said on the matter, though Rin doesn't hesitate to call Rei by his name from then on. To put it blatantly, that day was rather boring. Although, it was, in a way, a learning experience of sorts. They talked a lot that day. There were a lot of things Rin didn't want to talk about that day. Rei buttoned up his own shirt that night. Without a heartbeat against his ear, Rei didn't think he could ever fall asleep in this place. Suppose it was easier to flirt with someone you barely knew. The next morning was an early one, when the air was still cold. Rei sat in the front seat this time, though he didn't have too much interest in looking out the window. It was a very out of character day for the both of them. The air was cold between them, and it wasn't just the weather.  
\---  
The Underground was still dark and daunting, but there was a small aura of welcoming, and that was strange. There wasn't much work for him so far. Many people weren't there, and Ducky had told him market research, but the otter had said patrolling. He had an idea of what they meant, anyway. Rei wasn't allowed to join them, it was understandable. Most join on their own accord with prior knowledge of what they were getting into. So, no one was prepared to explain everything to him, and most were hesitant at the least. There were zero reasons to trust an initiation, no matter how much Baby Shark insisted she wasn't so stupid as to choose someone who'd rat them out or otherwise shut them down. Needless to say, none of this was as scary or exciting as Rei would have thought. That was because, Ducky had told him, everything was going well, otherwise they'd have to let the higher-ups watch him while everyone else took care of business. He was relieved to know that, in that situation, he wasn't expected to have a hand in their more visibly criminal activities, but the fact that he was now associated with them made his mouth dry. None of this was the way anyone should think. Rei never objected all too much, he never sought help in the night when Rin was in his fitful sleep, and he didn't really plan to. As he sat to the side, Rei thought he might suffocate from second hand smoke, which effectively clouded the room. It was a foul smell that he had to get used to pretty quick. That was all he did, though, having not been accustomed to the other men, save two. That was until he noticed the Above Grounders. First, just two, the stoic one who had brought him his glasses, accompanied by a surprisingly kind looking brunette who smiled warmly. Suppose he wasn't the only one that looked out of place. In fact, there were a wide variety of characters that didn't even slightly fit his predetermined mold of a gang member. Even the boss looked too cute and youthful to be some kind of powerful drug lord. Soon after the first two were a few more, then finally Rin, or rather Shark. Though, Rei didn't want to hover around him too much, that just seemed a little clingy. Rei sat at the bottom of the steps until he felt a force on his back that didn't feel unlike the bottom of a shoe. Rei froze. A head turn to the side and he would have seen someone that he wouldn't have expected to see in the lowly Underground. The boss stood proud, looking straight-faced at Rei. But there wasn't a head turn, and Rei did not look back. The shoe was ground into Rei's back, eliciting a retrospectively embarrassing moan, turning everyone's attention toward him. Rei's hands covered his burning red face as the boss stepped off of him, surely leaving a black print behind, seeing as his Baby Shark snickered behind him,  
"Tonight," the blonde spoke clearly, "we take action,"  
As if on cue, everyone in the room turned to each other nodding once, a few had a sinister smile etched on their faces, including Shark, whose teeth made him look more daunting. Turning to walk away, he didn't look back before one last emotionless command, "Swimmers, with me,"  
And just like that, every familiar face vanished.  
\---


End file.
